MANAMA — The Bahrain Red Crescent Society, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the regional mission for GCC states based in Kuwait, organized a remote training course entitled "Integration and qualification of volunteers."

The training course opened with a welcome speech by the head of the regional mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross of GCC states, Omar Odeh, and then a word by Dr. Fawzi Amin, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in GCC states. Also present was Mubarak Al-Hadi, Bahrain Red Crescent director general/acting general secretary.

About 60 Bahraini Red Crescent volunteers participated in the training course and got acquainted with the concept of "volunteering and volunteer management." One of the most fundamental principles of the international movement is volunteering, which derives from the human motivation of all individuals working within the international movement. The international movement maintains a vast and unique network of volunteers, ensuring people receive proper aid around the world.

The course started by an introduction of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which is the largest humanitarian organization in the world and consists of three components: the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, in addition to the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Over a period of four days, the course examined several themes, including the "basic principles of humanitarian action", namely humanity, impartiality, independence, volunteer service, unity and universality, in addition to the "Code of Conduct" concerned with creating a culture of respect and an appropriate environment for the conduct of volunteers, and pay more attention to ensuring that all people feel respected and appreciated.

The course also included "An Introduction to Restoring Family Ties", a program concerned with restoring communication between individuals separated from their families as a result of disasters, wars and others. And also included "Using information technology" to search for missing persons during disasters, newly created tools to keep up with technological progress, and health care for workers in health facilities and vehicles.

The Bahrain Red Crescent volunteers also learned how "humanitarian media during armed conflict" works, and its based strategy on the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and international humanitarian law, in addition to the concept of "secure access" for humanitarian workers as a primary necessity to perform their tasks and provide their services for the afflicted and the needy.

The course was concluded with a word by Mubarak Al-Hadi in which he thanked all those involved in the course for their efforts to produce it in an efficient manner. He specifically thanked Omar Odeh and all the mission staff, also thanked the participated Bahraini Red Crescent volunteers, in particular the head of (BRCS) public relations committee and its members, noting their enthusiasm and their keenness to enrich their information and develop their awareness of everything related to the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. — SG